When Parallels Cross
by TresDosOneGo
Summary: While investigating a tough case, Rizzoli and Isles are forced to work with another team from the NYPD. Both girls are totally clueless until they see (individually) that they may have the future they have always secretly dreamed of together. Eventual Rizzles, I promise! Rating is T, for language... You know our Jane likes to curse... LOL
1. Chapter 1

**A/N wow... this is my first author's note... ok... I'll try not to bore you now I promise, but please keep reading... This piece is something that has been rattling around the ol' noggin for a while now and I've just now had the guts to publish it, so if you must heckle, please do so lovingly... :o)**

**There will be Rizzles, eventually, I promise!**

**Oh! And you probably guessed it, but it's true, I don't own these beautiful characters. Rizzoli and Isles are completely out of my hands in their creation, but I've decided to take them on a journey so please bear with me. They begin, as in the show, totally clueless, LOL! Though, I think you'll like where they end up...**

Detective Jane Rizzoli woke up Monday morning with a jolt, it was completely dark in her room. Abruptly she remembered throwing a blanket over her alarm clock around 2:00am after staring at it for over two and a half hours. Confused and still breathing hard from her bad dream the dark haired woman groped for her cell phone to check the time. 4:45am. She groaned, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep and rolled off her bed onto the carpet below.

Padding into the bathroom she turned on the light. A glance in the mirror produced another groan. Her hair was wild and sticking every which way, her eyes were red and puffy, and she had the meanest dark circles under her eyes.

"Look like shit Rizzoli" she rasped to herself, voice still heavy with sleep. She wandered into the kitchen wondering briefly if she had anything to help her dark circles. Maura was sure to notice and she didn't want to worry her best friend.

As she walked to the kitchen her dog Jo Friday stirred on her doggy bed by the window. 'It's even too early for her, what is wrong with me?'

She opened the topmost kitchen cabinet, stretched to her full height, and grabbed the jar of instant coffee she had stored there. Some mornings Jane just couldn't wait for the coffee machine, and today was most definitely one of those mornings. Grabbing a coffee mug and filling it with water from the sink she thought of Maura reaction to her secret stash and smiled gently. Her best friend had particular tastes and instant coffee would never be good enough for her. Jane chuckled to herself as she waited for the microwave to heat the water enough and thought about the day to come.

It had been quiet lately at BPD, there hadn't been many new cases, and the ones that there were had been fairly straight forward. 'As straight-forward as murder gets' she thought to herself grinning sardonically when the microwave beeped.

Jane pulled out the mug and stirred in two heaping spoons of instant. Carrying the un-doctored cup back to her room she took a hesitant sip of the hot liquid and opened her closet with the other hand. Sighing and grabbing the only remaining clean suit Jane walked over to her dresser and set down her coffee. It was one of her nicer suits and she was loathed to ruin it at work, but it looked like today she didn't have much of a choice. Why hadn't she thought to do laundry the previous weekend?

'Oh yeah, Maura' she remembered to herself. The ME had taken up pretty much all her time. Friday night had been spent at the Robber, Jane offering the usual invitation to the young doctor, then there was the whole shopping fiasco on Saturday. Jane remembered with a smile at the time the two of them had, which quickly turned into a frown remembering the way the weekend had ended. Maura had a date. Sunday night, a school night, Jane had promptly pointed out, although Maura seemed to have taken that remark badly. Simply stating that she was obviously old enough to make her own decisions about what nights she decided to go out on.

Sighing, she pulled out some underwear and a bra, not even checking if they were even the same color. Then, she fished around her shirts for a moment... letting out yet another groan, Jane pulled out the one remaining shirt suitable for work in her drawer. With a death glare at her over flowing clothes hamper she laid her clothes on the bed and headed towards the shower.

30 minutes later Jane was dressed in her nicest black slacks putting on an honest to god pink shirt… She had no idea how she had ever come to even owning such a garment. Frowning she became instantly suspicious, she would never have purchased something this… ugh… Not that Jane didn't like to get dressed up, that wasn't it at all, when the occasion warranted she loved being feminine, pretty, even sexy. But work was not an occasion that warranted any of those things and even if it did pink on a homicide detective was just way too much. It reminded her of her old pink canopy bed at her mother's…

"Dammit Ma!" she exclaimed, to no one in particular, assuming that the only person who would try to get her to wear a shirt like this would be her mother. She was always trying to get Jane to dress more femininely.

'Cuz you never know when you might meet that perfect man, and you would want to look your best for that wouldn't you?' she heard her mother's words ring in her ears.

Wondering when her mother had the chance to sneak the shirt into her drawer she took a look in the mirror before she grabbed her jacket.

Jane stopped, frozen a moment, her toned arm halfway reaching for her jacket. She looked, well, she looked pretty good. The shirt, while not her usual style, fit her perfectly. The fabric seemed to hug her in all the right places and the front was cut in a low V, exposing more of her chest than she was used to, but not enough to be obscene. The cut was such that it showed off her toned shoulders and the fabric gathered high on her waist, giving her thin form the allusion of real curves. She pulled her suit jacket on and the loose fabric on the shirt seemed to flutter around her stomach like silk. The jacket fell to her hips and was well-tailored showing off the shirt underneath perfectly.

'Not too bad Rizzoli… You might even impress Maura with this outfit'

Thinking about her upscale friend's reaction with a small smile Jane Rizzoli grabbed her emergency laundry sack and stuffed as many dirty clothes in as would fit. She would need to drop them by the laundry on her way into the precinct or she would never make it through the week. As she made her way out the door she remembered the bakery next to the dry cleaners and decided to bring in some coffee and pastries for Korsack. He loved that place and he was always in there early…

* * *

Sergeant Detective Vincent Korsack sat at his desk alone in the department. He loved this time of the day. Before the hustle and bustle of murder came screaming through the halls the place was almost peaceful. He closed his eyes and took a moment, as he did almost every other day, and just enjoyed the quiet… only to have the peace be interrupted moments later.

"Asleep already Korsack?" Jane said with a smile handing the older man his coffee.

Opening his eyes Korsack mock-glared at his old partner and protégé,

"I _was_ enjoying the peace and quiet, but I can clearly see that part of my day is long gone" he said with a wink as he reached for the offered drink. Reading the cup he instantly brightened "you went to Dorine's?"

Korsack immediately began shifting in his seat to try and get a glance at Jane's hands, searching…

Jane laughed and pulled a large brown paper bag around from behind her back. "Couldn't very well go to your favorite bakery without bringing you back a bran muffin now could I?" Jane said as she placed the bag in front of him, smirking.

Korsack frowned gravely before he caught the younger detective's expression. "Funny. Real funny Rizzoli, you know in my day we didn't joke around about such serious matters." He scolded.

"Yeah, yeah and in your day coffee cost a nickel and people still cranked their cars up to start them like real men." A voice came around from behind Jane.

The two turned to see Detective Barry Frost walking in, his own coffee in his hands, smiling at them.

"Hey!" Korsack whined trying to remember how nice it had been in here only moments ago. Then he remembered the brown paper bag and brightened significantly as he started to rummage through the delicious contents inside.

"You're here early." Jane remarked to her partner as he took a seat as his desk across the room.

"I could say the same thing about you, haven't seen you here this early in a long time." Frost replied glancing over at Korsack then immediately jumping out of his chair. "Is that Dorine's?" he almost squealed as he crossed the distance to his colleagues.

Laughing at her friends Jane said "you two are too easy to please. You know it doesn't pay to be so predictable all the time"

They both looked at her, taking in her appearance for the first time, Frost's jaw fell and Korsack just laughed pulling the bag away from his reach while he continued to agonize over his choice.

Frost finally found his voice "Wow… Jane, um… where did you get that shirt?! You got a hot date or something?" He joked, secretly hoping the answer would be 'no'. The dark skinned man had had a secret crush on his partner for a long while now, but never felt right making a move. He knew that he probably wouldn't ever get the chance, but it still made him feel better thinking she wasn't dressing up for another man.

Jane crossed her arms over her chest, put on her most intimidating stance and glared "can't a girl dress nice once in a while?"

"A girl can…" Korsack said around a mouthful of pastry chuckling to himself at his private joke.

"Haha Korsack." Jane said dryly.

"Let me guess" the older man continued, mouthful successfully swallowed, "you ran out of clothes and had to go by the cleaners this morning" he smirked and took a sip of Dorine's special brew.

Jane knew she was busted, that old man knew her better than anyone.

"As I recall, Korsack" she joked back "it was you who introduced me to Dorine's, remember that day you ripped your pants at that crime scene and we had to go by your cleaners for a new pair?"

Frost laughed loudly as he procured his own special treat from the bag. The three then sat down at their respective desks working at paperwork and cold cases as they had been all week.

A little while later their boss Lieutenant Cavenaugh came out of his office.

"Rizzoli!" he barked "You got a murder... It's a kid…" he paused grimacing, no murder was a good murder, but the children were the worst of them all. With a serious expression he continued "It's a messy one too..."

**A/N: I guess this is where I get to explain that this isn't a Frost/Jane fic... Honestly, it isn't. I swear! Just that episode where Tommy and Frost were about to die and he expressed it, well I guess it's in my head now... Don't worry. It's Rizzles all the way... It****'s just gonna take a minute to get there... I hope you guys stick with it, I think it'll be worth it...**


	2. Chapter 2

Dr. Maura Isles woke to the sound of her phone ringing. She blinked at her room for a moment before she moved to answer the call. Her date the night before had dragged on a little longer than she would have liked and it was early. With a soft grunt she grabbed for her cell on the nightstand and answered.

"Dr. Isles" she spoke, her voice not betraying the least amount of tiredness. Maura Isles strived to be proper in all situations, even if the situation was being raised out of a dead sleep before she was ready. Most people that she met would perceive this as arrogance or even aloofness, but for Maura, it was the only way she really knew how to deal with people.

Still not quite awake Maura nodded into the phone, then caught herself and said "yes, okay I'm on my way, thank you."

Hanging up on the dispatch officer she set the phone back on the nightstand delicately and got out of bed. Standing for a moment in her silk pajamas Maura shivered slightly then began her well-practiced morning routine.

She walked over to her large walk-in closet and selected an outfit to wear for the day. Now Maura, being Maura, had five outfits ready for the week ahead and they were all hanging towards the front of her closet cleaned, pressed, and ready to wear. Cocking her head slightly she regarded them all considering the facts.

It was early and cold, she was still shivering slightly, but she would likely be at work for a long while working the case. She finally selected a long-sleeved Stella McCartney toile de jouy dress, she grabbed the hangar and laid the dress gently on her bed before moving to the bathroom for a quick shower.

After she had dried and styled her hair, applied some sparing make-up, and dressing in the black printed dress she moved to the closet again to select the proper footwear. Donning some 'practical' black calf high stiletto boots she grabbed a warm fitted red leather jacket. After further accessorizing with jewelry Maura debated briefly before quickly returning to her closet for a silk Hermes scarf to tie around her neck.

Long practiced decorum had her pausing before the mirror to make sure she looked acceptable before leaving. Maura tucked an errant strand of honey blonde hair behind her ear. 'Perfect', she thought with a sad smile, and headed out the door to the crime scene.

* * *

Maura arrived at the crime scene a short while later. She gave her name and title to the officer guarding the perimeter and as she walked around to the alley behind the building she wondered grumpily to herself why dead bodies always had to be found in the dirtiest places.

When she turned the corner into the alley the first thing she noticed was Detective Frost "discretely" throwing up into a corner. She looked towards the alley and saw her friend Jane Rizzoli turn and regard her with such an expression of sadness she stopped.

"Jane?" she wondered aloud as the lanky detective approached her "what is it?"

Jane sighed and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her trench coat, 'a nervous habit of hers' Maura thought briefly.

"It's a kid Maur" Jane said mutely "It's bad."

Maura sighed and squared her shoulders under her designer jacket, she knew as well as any of them how bad the cases involving kids were.

"Where?" the ME asked professionally, stuffing her personal feelings about the situation away. 'Later' she thought to herself 'later when we're alone together'.

Jane cringed visibly before she answered jaw clenched "well, the head is over there" she pointed distractedly behind her towards the end of the alley.

Maura winced, this was not going to be a fun day.

"The rest…" Jane continued grimly "Well the rest is in the dumpster" she glanced at Maura's outfit before continuing "I hope you still have that fancy suit of yours to put on over those pretty clothes"

Maura nodded but moved first to the back of the alley, where Jane had pointed first.

The detective followed solemnly, knowing that from the looks of things back there, it would be a while before her friend was able to offer her anything conclusive about the way this poor kid died. Still she hoped, 'if anyone can find something, it's Maur'.

As the two women made their way to the end of the alley, the sky began to brighten with the first rays of the day's sunlight. Jane grimaced, 'this place wasn't going to look any better under the light of day' she thought to herself.

The only other people back there were the crime scene photographer, busy taking pictures of everything, and Vince Korsack. Maura looked at the older man and noticed the green hue to his skin. Frost was one thing, but Korsack getting ill over a scene meant it had to be grisly.

Maura knelt down by the severed head and regarded the face of the once whole child. She pushed down the lump in her throat and forced herself to remain professional. The boy looked latino in complexion and couldn't have been older than 10, judging by the development of the bones in his face. It was the look of terror in his countenance that gave the medical examiner her first clue.

"He didn't die from being decapitated." She remarked coolly.

The photographer started and gave her a shocked glare. Maura didn't notice.

"The frozen look of terror on his face indicates that he was being tortured when he was killed. Judging by the wound on his neck, a decapitation in this manner would have been rather quick." Maura sighed "painless."

"Can you tell us what was used to sever his head Dr. Isles" Sergeant Korsack asked hopefully.

Maura looked at him sadly and said "No, not without further examination in my lab Sergeant."

Expecting another prodding by Jane, Maura looked her way expectantly, but all she received was a curt nod. 'She understands' Maura thought to herself.

"Can I see the rest?" she asked Jane

With a small nod the detective led the way to a small generic looking green dumpster on the side of the alleyway. Before she opened the lid, however, Jane looked at her friend and said "I understand that you might not be able to tell us anything right away Maur" she sighed heavily before lifting the lid "but we have to get the guy who did this."

When she opened the lid the smell hit them both like a physical force. Jane tensed, and clenched her jaw again, 'Don't puke!' she screamed to herself 'not in front of Maura'.

Maura looked inside and grimaced. It was a mess, almost as if the kid had been chopped to pieces right there inside the small space. Blood was everywhere, and she could make out several limbs among the refuse. She swallowed once and tried hard to detach herself. These remains were not those of that boy anymore, they became nothing more than scientific evidence. It was the only way she could bring herself to continue. She pulled her protective clothing on over her designer dress and boots and prepared herself mentally for what she was about to do.

"Jane," Maura spoke softly

"Yeah" Jane replied looking at her with warm and understanding eyes

"I…." her previous professional demeanor shattered Maura looked at her friend eyes shining "I will do everything I can to help you find the monster that did this." The doctor turned

Jane reached out and grabbed her hand, not yet covered with her examination glove, pulling Maura to look at her and placing her other hand on the slim doctor's waist. "I know." They shared a long moment together before Jane continued slowly "we'll get him... don't"

"Jane!" Frost's voice carried from the other end of the alley. Maura pulled away from Jane the moment broken. "We have a witness!" he yelled again without daring to come closer.

"I gotta go check that out, you okay here" Jane said concern in her eyes.

"Yes, go please Jane." Maura said her decorum back

"I'll come see you later at the station ok?" Jane returned with a small smile.

Maura smiled back grimly and turned back towards her duty to the dead.

**A/N: Hopefully I'm building to some good stuff here, not sure though.. Honestly, I've never written this all down and while I know where it ends, the middle is still a bit fuzzy. Stay with me though I think I have a good idea to get these girls together, from just friends to LLBFFs. In a completely organic and believable way... Bear with me k? :o)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Real quick, the italics represent a flashback. In this chapter it's only a couple hours, but I'm gonna use them in future chapters too. K, so just be ready... Italics = Past times**

Several hours later Jane and Frost returned to the station disappointed. Their witness had told them they had seen a person walk out from the apartment building across the street and into that alley the night before. The building was very upscale, as was the neighborhood. After interviewing most of the tenants, and/or their prospective 'staff' the detectives finally found the man the witness had spoken of.

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK! "Police!" Detective Frost called out to whoever was inside. _

_The door opened slowly revealing a man who looked terrible, his eyes were red, his robe was open, and he looked like he hadn't shaved in a week._

_"Sir, we're here to ask you a few questions, if that's okay with you." Jane asked the man tentatively, but with a smile on her face 'don't scare him away Rizzoli, this could be him' she thought._

_"Ab.. About the alley?" he stammered not looking at either of them._

_"Yes, sir" Frost said continuing "did you see anything?" _

_"I… I…" the man began before collapsing into hysterical sobs in front of both homicide detectives. "I di.. I didn't do anything I swear!" the man continued through his sobs._

_"Sir, I think you understand that we need to know exactly what you saw in that alley" Frost told him sternly, but with a compassionate look. Both he and Jane knew he wasn't their murderer, but they needed to be sure, anyone could put on a good show._

_"Can we come in?" Jane asked and the man opened the door more, offering them both access to his apartment._

_He walked over to the couch and fell down into a seated position, still not focusing on anything at all._

_The two detectives remained standing until he was ready to speak._

_"I didn't see anything." The man finally said dejectedly._

_"Why were you down in the alleyway last night?" Frost asked pointedly, taking the role of 'bad cop'._

_"I… I… I was just taking out my trash" the man muttered._

_" Doesn't this building have its own trash receptacles?" Frost continued_

_"I… Well… yeah… it does…"_

_"So why did you take your trash all the way outside and around the building Mr…" Jane asked gently._

_"Stevens" the man said "Dr. Harry Stevens"_

_"Okay, Doctor." Jane continued with a calming voice "Why were you all the way over there?"_

_The man flushed and looked embarrassed but continued "I… Well… I…"_

_"It's okay Dr." Jane prodded gently_

_The man sighed, heavily. "I am a renowned plastic surgeon… I… Well.. I was worried about my reputation."_

_"So you decided the best thing to do for you reputation was to crawl around a dirty alley in the middle of the night?" Frost asked angrily, playing his part well._

_"No!" The doctor exclaimed, before collecting himself "No, I just… well… It's the weekend, and well… um… well…" the doctor looked extremely uncomfortable._

_"Dr. Stevens" Jane growled, getting slightly annoyed._

_"I like to take a drink or two on the weekends you know?" he continued in a rush, not wanting to annoy the beautiful detective he felt was on his side._

_"And well, this weekend was a bit of a ruckus, and I didn't want to have to explain the bottles to the building association…" he finished quietly._

_"Ok" Frost probed "So you were taking your empties away from the prospective clients…"_

_The man sighed again, "yes." He replied meekly._

_"What did you see when you went down there?" Jane asked_

_The doctor visibly tensed, then shuddered, looking as if he might break down into another sobbing fit. Then he straightened, and turned to them with a detached expression. 'doctor mode.' Jane thought to herself, thinking of Maura._

_"I saw a crime scene detectives." He replied coldly, clinically. "I saw a boy's severed head and blood everywhere."_

_"Did you see anyone around before you entered the alley?" Frost asked hopefully_

_"No." the doctor replied, still using his doctor's voice, but looking like a broken man. "I only saw the end result, I'm sorry detectives" he looked over at Jane with regret in his eyes._

_"Please don't tell anyone why I was down there" he continued pathetically._

_"Why didn't you call in what you saw Doctor?" Frost asked pointedly, still playing his role._

_"I did." The man replied. "As soon as I got back up here, I called it in…"_

* * *

Jane sighed as she shrugged off her baggy trench coat and fancy suit jacket and laid them over the top of her chair. Korsack looked up at them expectantly when they entered.

"Find anything?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope, just the guy that called it in." Frost answered. "A drunken doctor too ashamed to throw away his bottles in his fancy apartment building" he finished with a sigh.

"He found the scene and called it in" Jane finished. "Anything on a possible ID?" she asked him hopefully.

"Nothing" he responded looking dejected "I can't find any missing kids matching his description and there was no evidence at the scene. I'll keep looking" the older man finished.

"I'm going to go and see if Maura has found anything yet." Jane said before stalking out of the bullpen, oblivious to the numerous appreciative looks she received on the way to the elevator.

"She really doesn't know how beautiful she is does she?" Frost murmured.

"Oh she does." Korsack said overhearing the man. "But you know that's not for you now don't you?" he continued giving the man a stern but understanding look.

"I know, she forgot to do laundry." Frost chuckled

"No, it's not just that Frost." Korsack continued carefully choosing his words now "I know about your feelings for her Barry."

Frost froze, he thought he was being so careful!

"I know how easy it can be to fall for Jane Rizzoli, trust me" the older man continued "I was her partner for years remember?" he chuckled softly remembering the poor saps that had tried to get his tough yet gorgeous former partner.

Frost glared at him, not liking the direction this conversation was going and not wanting to be embarrassed he said snidely "I'm her partner now, old man."

"Yeah…" Korsack sighed. "I know" a long silence fell between them, Frost busy typing his searches into his workstation and Korsack pondering his next statement.

"Frost?" Korsack began. Frost merely glared at him again over his monitor.

"Listen." Korsack continued "I know you've had some feelings for her…"

As soon as these words were out of his mouth Frost jumped up from his desk and came right up to his face and, with a strangled whisper replied "You don't know what you're talking about old man!"

"I know what I see." The sergeant replied unconcerned, still focused on his computer screen.

"Whatever you think you see, you're wrong!" Frost whisper yelled at him

"I'm not wrong." Korsack replied still apparently unconcerned.

Frost seemed to deflate on the spot. With a big sigh he said "okay, so maybe you're right." He continued "but it'll never work out"

"That, my young friend, is correct." Korsack said compassionately "And I think you know why." He finished and finally looked up at the man now leaning against the side of his desk looking into the distance...

**A/N: I don't like these notes but I have to say that this Frost thing is about to be settled, there will be a flashback, and everyone will be happy. Well maybe not Frost, at least not yet, but this issue is about to be laid to rest. For this story, at least... I may need to think of a happy ending for poor Barry now, honestly, this whole thing came out of nowhere while I was writing. The show storylines seem to have sunk into my very pores, but I'm determined to find a happy place for all of them.**

**Also... I know it has been kind of case-centric and "professional" but that's my whole plan, to get these two together finally, normally and realistically through their jobs... That doesn't sound very romantic does it? Well, I assure you this story will take them through both professional AND personal journeys...**

**Just wait until you see the "parallel line" they will cross :o)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Super quick note! The first section is from the previous chapter... If you're thinking "duh!" and/or "I knew that" skip down to the bar now... but still read the next line (ok two lines) JIC K? :o)**

**Italics = Past times (i.e. flashback) also and I know this is weird but... **

***** & italics will indicate a flashback within a flashback, if you see another ***that flashback has just had another flashback... If you don't understand just message me... or hate me silently... both work the same ;o) seriously, I'm only kidding, if your confused let me know I will change it...**

**OK. So in case you, somehow, missed the first line, the conversation with Frost and Korsack continues...**

"Whatever you think you see, you're wrong!" Frost whisper yelled at him

"I'm not wrong." Korsack replied still apparently unconcerned.

Frost seemed to deflate on the spot. With a big sigh he said "okay, so maybe you're right." He continued "but it'll never work out"

"That, my young friend, is correct." Korsack said compassionately "And I think you know why." He finished and finally looked up at the man now leaning against the side of his desk looking into the distance...

* * *

"She never was right again after Hoyt." Korsack continued, knowing that the young man needed to hear this.

"I know" Frost replied meekly, knowing exactly where the Sergeant was going with this conversation. He was obviously hating every second of hearing his dreams crushed, but knew somewhere deep down, that he needed to hear it nonetheless.

"After it happened she was distant, she didn't let anyone near her, not even her own mother!" Korsack grinned sadly and continued "The first time I saw the Jane Rizzoli that used to be my partner return I knew exactly who and why she had come back." Korsack sighed, knowing this part had to be done quickly 'like a band-aid' he thought quickly to himself. "Jane Rizzoli came back to us only after she found a friendship with a certain medical examiner and you know it."

Frost sighed sadly. He knew it too. When the great Jane Rizzoli had been made his partner, right after he got his big promotion to homicide, she was a shell of a person. Beautiful, Frost remembered, as always, but she never smiled. The first time he had ever seen his new partner smile it had been at Dr. Maura Isles.

_Four years earlier:_

_Detective Barold Frost put on his freshly cleaned and pressed suit and sighed. He was headed into his first crime scene as a homicide detective, and while he was nervous, he wanted to look as good as possible for his new partner. _

_ He had immense respect for Detective Jane Rizzoli, ever since she was still an officer in the Drug unit. Frost had heard about her methods for a couple years, but the first time he bad actually seen her he would never forget._

_*** He had been working a desk in vice for a couple of years. His skills with a computer being well utilized and even though he was only a junior officer, the vice department used his abilities more often than not to make an arrest._

_Recently his skills were being outsourced to the drug control unit, they had needed his particular brand of 'research' for a sting they had been working on for a while and Barry knew his shot when he saw it. The man barely slept working on finding who the main dealer was by following several men's phone records. It was him who found the man responsible for bringing in over two million dollars-worth of heroin into the city each month. _

_When he brought his findings to the Lieutenant, Cavenaugh simply smiled and said "Rizzoli's got him!"_

_ Later that night when the undercover officers came in with the suspect Frost got his first look at Jane Rizzoli. She was dressed provocatively, as a hooker, he later learned, and had the kingpin by the cuffs. She looked like a bad ass, despite her short skirt and thigh high boots, he knew that she was no one to be reckoned with. He fell in love instantly. ***_

_***Later when he was promoted to homicide and found out that Rizzoli was to be his partner he had never felt so happy. Until, of course, he found out why she has requested a new partner. Frost was instantly caught in a bad position. He loved Jane Rizzoli, but she had just been through something terrible and there was no way a gentleman like Frost was going to push his own selfish agenda against something like Hoyt. Plus, the looks that Korsack was giving him… There was no way he could make a move._

_Rizzoli treated him like a rookie straight out of the academy. While he hated that assumption he knew that he would have to prove himself to such a woman. He felt if he dressed impeccably and treated her with nothing but respect and admiration she would eventually come around. _

_It was months before Cavenaugh gave them a real case, Frost never knew if it was because he was new, or if it was out of respect for Rizzoli. When the call came early that morning he knew he needed to make a good impression on his partner and had dressed in his best suit._

_Checking his reflection in the big mirror in his hallway Frost thought 'yeah, if this doesn't get her, I don't know what will…'_

_Frost got there before anyone else, trying to make a good impression. As soon as he got to the crime scene, however, he immediately found out why homicide detectives don't dress as well as he did. Frost found out rather violently that dead bodies made his stomach lurch. _

_Vomiting into a bush, in his best suit nonetheless, this is how his crush the great Detective Jane Rizzoli found him that night at their first crime scene together._

_"Not too strong a stomach I see." Was all she said. Frost blushed badly thankful for the night and his sickness to cover it._

_"I…" he repressed another lurch "I guess I'm not quite used to it yet" he said with a depressed look in his eyes._

_"Not to worry" Jane replied expressionless, as always, "it happens to all of us you know"_

_She then beckoned him to follow her back to the crime scene where the new medical examiner was busy examining the wreckage._

_It was the first time either of them had met the new ME. Frost had heard the gossip from the other cops, and was nervous. This woman was cold, tough, clinical, 'queen of the dead' they had called her. The rumors about the new medical examiner had been flying around since she started, before he ever made it to homicide, and now Frost had yet another reason to want to throw up._

_"Dr. Isles." Frost found his voice, although a bit higher than his voice usually sounded he shook his head in disappointment before continuing "She's the new medical examiner, they call her the 'queen of the dead'" he said with a sardonic smile hoping his new crush would hate her too. Jane Rizzoli simply tilted her head, no response, as usual. Frost sighed._

_They approached the butchered body and Frost chocked. Literally. Jane looked at him with a serious expression and told him that he could stay right here, she would check out the body._

_Frost watched as his beautiful new partner walked over to the grisly scene on the sidewalk, instantly hating himself, and his stomach, for not being able to follow. Still, he kept a close eye. Korsack was there, and as much as he resented the older detective, he would be able to protect Jane. Frost hung back, looking on._

_"We have a cause of death?" he heard his new partner ask with confidence, Frost melted as he retched._

_"No."_

_"No?" he heard Jane reply "It looks like he has a rather large knife in his chest Dr. Isles"_

_Maura sighed inwardly, her short experience with homicide detectives had been rather poor, and she knew she was looking at a fight with this new one. Sparing a glance upwards at the voice, she stopped suddenly, her breath catching slightly._

_What she saw was possibly the most beautiful creature that she had ever seen. Different than any other woman she'd been exposed to in her life, Jane Rizzoli exuded confidence, and she was dressed… well… Maura frowned slightly, 'this woman could have any man she wanted, if she knew what clothes to wear to accentuate her perfect figure' she thought._

_"O…K…" the woman continued "So what is it gonna take for you to make a guess at the cause of death Dr."_

_"Oh, I don't guess" Maura responded curtly, knowing what was coming, it always did. ' Why not? It's obvious he was killed by the knife in his chest as there are no other obvious injuries' she rehearsed the oft heard line, albeit modified for the current conditions, in her head as well as her now rehearsed response when she heard something unexpected. A laugh. Looking up sharply she saw the young homicide detective whom she had never met before openly laughing, at her._

_Maura Isles frowned again and started to explain "I never make a guess before I know all of the facts, detective, I am a doctor I believe in science, not guesses."_

_Meanwhile the woman had ceased her laughter and was simply gazing at the new ME with an unreadable expression in her eyes. 'I should have spent more time studying human interaction' was all Maura could think before the woman spoke again._

_"Well can you at least give me an idea of a possible murder weapon?" the detective asked with a smirk, and a twinkle in her eye._

_Maura noticed neither and began explaining as if to a young child "the weapon used appears to have been a large serrated knife, approximately six inches in length" the ME answered gazing at the obvious knife pointing out of the dead woman in front of her._

_"Any clue where we might find a weapon like what you have described doctor?" Jane replied seriously gazing at Maura with another unreadable expression._

_"Detective!" Maura exclaimed happily "I believe the very weapon you are looking for is right here!" Thinking she had broke the case Maura gazed up at the new detective with a wide happy smile and a gesture towards the young dead woman's chest._

_Frost saw it. Even from his vantage point well away from the carnage he noticed his partner soften and gaze at the new ME with a sweet smile saying "Well, Dr. Isles! I do believe you have cracked this case wide open"_

_He had never seen his partner look that way, and with one glance at her former partner standing across from the new ME, he knew Korsack had never seen it either._

Sighing Detective Frost moved back to his desk. He knew in his head that Dr. Maura Isles had been the one to wake Jane Rizzoli up from her funk following Hoyt. His heart just hadn't quite accepted it yet that she was the only one that could ever understand his tough, but loveable partner.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I know things have been pretty dark so far, but this one is pure Rizzles. Enjoy :o)**

Dr. Maura Isles was just finishing up her examination of the boy they had found. She was not in a good mood. Nobody would be, after that. Suffice it to say Maura Isles was out of sorts, she was cranky and snapping at her lab associates with venom they did not expect of her. Most had the decency to clear out by the time Jane arrived, the detective taking in the scene with an experienced eye. Noticing Maura cleaning up in a corner of the morgue Jane spoke.

"Scared 'em all away didja Maur?" Jane said in lieu of a proper greeting standing at the morgue entrance a small sweet smile on her face.

Maura had yet to look at Jane, preferring to finish up her job at the current time. The doctor continued for a moment, finishing the task she was currently working on when Jane came in.

When she did finally raise her eyes to gaze at Jane she was caught speechless, her mouth going dry.

"Sorry, to barge in on you down here, but we just got back from interviewing witnesses and I was hoping you might have something more for us." Jane said brightly, but faltered when she saw Maura's expression. 'I wonder what she's thinking right now' she thought to herself before hearing the answer out loud.

"You're wearing my shirt!" Maura said, and then blushed. "I... I mean.."

"What?!" Jane interjected, confused. "This is _your _shirt?!" Jane grabbed at the offending garment as if she were about to pull it off and hand it back to the beautiful doctor.

"No, Jane" the beautiful ME's blush only worsened, and as she tried to recover Jane interjected.

"Oh! UGH! You, know I was so sure it was my mother!" She groaned under the ME's stare 'don't blush in front of Maura' she thought quickly trying to hide her own embarrassment.

"I'll give it back, I promise, I'll just need another shirt to change into…" Flushing she continued in a rush "I gave most of my clothes to the dry cleaners this morning. I didn't have anything really to wear. Lucky for me there's this bakery right next-door that Korsack and Frost absolutely LOVE, so I was able to cover a bit over having to wear this shirt that my Ma obviously gave me to use to try and meet men with" she finished with a self-depreciating laugh.

Maura met her gaze shyly, wondering why such a beautiful woman would ever feel this way in clothes she had personally chosen.

"I'm sorry Jane, but your mother didn't pick that particular shirt" Maura met her gaze sweetly before finishing "We were shopping a few weeks ago and I happened to mention that the shirt you're currently wearing, would look exquisite on you…"

Jane Rizzoli stared, stunned. "Wha… what?" was all the poor detective could manage.

'Maura picked this shirt? Wait, exquisite? Did she sneak it into my drawer? She certainly would've had the opportunity' Jane thought frantically, remembering fondly all the times that her best friend had stayed over at her place. 'No. That kind of sneakiness has my mother written all over it!' The detective quickly, but unsuccessfully, pushed down the next several thoughts.

Her best friend wearing her Red Sox jersey, her best friend changing in front of her, her best friend falling asleep on the couch her body pressed against Jane's side, the way her honey-blonde hair would be all messed up when she woke up next to her.

The detective sighed inwardly, these thoughts weren't unwanted they just always filled her with sadness. Her best friend would always be just that, her best friend, nothing more. Jane was sure that her beautiful 'and straight' she thought bitterly, friend would never return these feelings. There was no way that she could lose Maura, and acting like a horn-dog would definitely lose her Maura. She was certain of that. So she did what she always did, and swallowed her feelings. She looked at Maura and responded the only way she knew how, with a sarcastic comment.

"You better not be turning into my mother on me!" Jane exclaimed with mock terror "I don't need two of them!" 'Way to go Rizzoli!' she continued mentally, cursing herself silently.

Maura looked back at her, stricken. "That's certainly not what I was trying to do." She replied seriously, looking dejected.

Jane looked at her for a moment, startled, before she replied "Maura, you're not my mother…" at her friend's frown and raised eyebrow she continued quickly "I mean… Obviously you aren't my mother… but I mean you can act that way if you want… I mean… that's not what I mean..." Jane was flustered and it showed. 'God Rizzoli, get it together!' she screamed to herself "What I mean is that I hate it when she picks my clothes."

Maura's head fell. Jane not wanting her friend to feel badly kept on rambling "I mean it's not like I think you're picking my clothes, I mean, it's obvious that it was my mother who sneaked this shirt into my drawer. She probably did it the other day knowing that I would run out of clothes and have nothing else to wear. She's always trying to get the edge on me, trying to get me a husband so she can have some grandkids. She's always telling me that I'll never know when I could meet 'Mr. Perfect'" she said sarcastically throwing up air quotes "and well I guess she snuck this in there thinking that that was going to happen sometime this week!" Jane rolled her eyes at her mother's antics, not noticing Maura's sad look at the mention of a future husband. "What I'm trying to say here, badly, is that I… well…" Jane sighed, knowing she was blowing this, after a long pause she finally blurted "I really like this shirt!"

Maura's head jerked up at that last comment, a hopeful look in her eyes, along with something else Jane couldn't quite put her finger on. "You… you like it?" Maura asked timidly.

Jane smiled at Maura, showing off her dimples, before replying "Yeah, I like it…" then realizing she had just blown about a hundred holes in her carefully crafted reputation Jane said "I mean, pink…" she grimaced slightly, but at Maura's sad look Jane smiled "but I think it looks pretty good, I mean for a pink shirt that is, it certainly seems to flow pretty nice." She gave a little twirl at the last comment. 'Twirling Rizzoli? Really?! Is this what we've been reduced to?' the tough detective thought to herself before meeting the doctor's eyes again.

Maura's eyes seemed to be brighter than they were before, wider, Jane figured that must mean she was forgiven and smiled confidently. Maura seemed to blush before she looked down and muttered something under her breath. Jane thought she heard something like "thought so" before the doctor composed herself and started rattling off her findings on the case at hand.

"Cause of death is still unknown, Jane, but the weapon used on the body seems to be some kind of tree or shrub trimmer." Maura said, returning to her normal professional demeanor.

"That's not a usual murder weapon." Jane continued, mostly to herself, but Maura took this statement to heart and continued

"It's still not sure that it was the weapon that killed him."

"Still, I mean not too many people would have access to something like that." Jane responded "I should have Frost look into the landscapers contracted around that area…" Sighing deeply Jane asked, "are you sure it was a trimmer that was used to cut up the body?"

"Yes, I will have more information for you once the lab finishes their tests but…" the doctor paused, not wanting to make any assumptions, but willing to try… for Jane.

"No, that's okay Maur" Jane said taking away her apprehension without a thought "When you know something just text me, okay?" with a determined expression the detective breezed out of the morgue, leaving Maura with nothing but her thoughts.

Dr. Maura Isles sighed softly to herself. Nobody else would have taken her findings this way. In fact, most of the other homicide detectives would be literally breathing down her neck for more information, but not Jane. Jane always seemed to be different. She never ceased to surprise the doctor with her understanding.

'How did I get so lucky?' Maura thought to herself with a smile. Jane was more than just another homicide detective, she was her best friend.

Maura had never had a best friend and now it seemed like she had the best friend she could've ever asked for. She smiled again to herself sadly thinking that there was no way she would ever let her feelings get in the way of the best relationship she had ever had.

'I can't lose my Jane' she thought to herself. She returned to her work, determined to find something that Jane could use to find the monster that had done this to this poor child.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ok here comes the parallel. I tried to make it like the beginning of the fic, only from a different perspective... I have long thought that these girls could never put their personal lives before their work and this is my way of showing them what they could have. The idea is to expose them to something that they already have, but with a completely different result. A different detective and a different doctor but with completely different lives:**

**So please tell me... What do you think?**

* * *

Detective Alexis Spencer shook awake suddenly a nightmare had made its way into her subconscious and she was instantly confused.

"Wha…" was all that the beautiful detective managed before a comforting arm snaked its way over her stomach, calming her, and reminding her of her life.

'This woman' she thought to herself with a smile 'she always knows how to deal with me, even in sleep.' Alex sighed softly, contentedly, but she was not going to fall back to sleep this night, and she knew it.

Sighing softly to herself she smiled at the woman wrapped around her and grinned. Her life was perfect. 'Well, aside from the nightmares' she thought sardonically, before carefully extracting herself from her wife's grasp and wandering into the rest of the large house that they shared.

Walking down the long hallway, the young detective paused in front of one room in particular. Opening the door slowly, she checked on her young son. '_Her_ son' she thought to herself before she shook her head and smiled remembering fondly the day that her wife's son had become her son too….

With a smile on her face the blonde woman made her way to the kitchen. As she entered the large room the woman couldn't help but smirk at the pure luxury of the place. It was definitely not what she would have chosen, but it seemed to suit them. 'Her family' She shook her head again awestruck, 'how did I ever get this lucky?' she thought before staring at the fancy coffee maker on the countertop.

Alex sighed, knowing she didn't have the patience for that thing this morning, and moved quickly back towards the bedroom to find something to wear. 'I'll just pick some up on my way to work', she thought before grabbing a suit out of the closet and dressing quickly. 'Maybe I'll even pick up some pastries too' she thought absentmindedly while she dressed. 'Cruz loves pastries'

The tall woman hastily scribbled a note to her wife

_"Couldn't sleep. Left early. Cruz needs pastries... Love you, Alex."_

* * *

Eric Cruz was busy typing up a report from the previous week's case when he glanced up and saw his partner entering the bullpen of the New York City Police Department. She was carrying two cups of gourmet coffee and the man couldn't help the smile that formed on his rugged latino features.

"You brought me coffee?" he gruffed, his usual low voice rising several tones in excitement.

"Yeah, 'course" his partner replied as she dropped a plain paper bag onto his desk.

"It's early." Cruz said "even for you... Everything ok?" the large man looked at the young detective with a concerned look in his eyes, while he rummaged happily through the contents of the bag, coming up with his favorite pastry with an uncharacteristic wide smile.

The tall blonde woman replied softly, a twinkle in her dark blue eyes "yeah, I just couldn't wait for that crazy contraption of Jaime's today" she smiled "I just brought in an extra cup in case you were here first"

Both of them knew that Cruz was always the first in, ever since Alex had made things official with Dr. Jaime Kingston that is. Before then, it was Cruz bringing in two cups of coffee. He had never mentioned the shift and Alex loved her partner for that. That particular shift had not been comfortable for her and she didn't need the daily reminder from her partner.

Lucky for her, Alex Spencer had the best partner in the world. The man had seen her at her absolute worst, after _him,_ broken, screaming for help. He never said anything then and he didn't say anything now as he grabbed the offered cup of brew from his partner, digging into his welcome morning treat.

The two were quiet after that, immersed in their work before a chime on Alex's computer caught both of their attention.

"What's up?" Detective Eric Cruz asked curiously, knowing his partner had a penchant for anything technical and that she had dozens of searches running constantly. 'Spence always has something going for cold cases' he thought to himself as he gazed at his gruff partner.

"Um… I'm not sure… Lemme see" was his response as his partner squinted at her monitor a moment before typing furiously.

Alex had always had an affinity for technology and it was even more obvious as she typed into her computer her eyes seemingly lost in the task.

Cruz was curious, but knew better than to interrupt his partner now. She was at her best in front of a computer, and he watched her completely absorbed in her task he couldn't help but reminisce.

Almost every single case they'd had together in the homicide department of the New York City Police Department had been cracked by his tough but beautiful partner's admirable skills behind a computer screen.

'She even got her wife that way' he thought absentmindedly as he silently waited for an answer from his partner for the unusual alert.

"Huh…" he heard his partner say after several minutes of her typing.

Knowing better, Cruz refrained from breaking her concentration, though he desperately wondered what it was that she was discovering.

After several moments and some rather descriptive cursing Alex Spencer finally spoke "Shit!"

This was when Detective Cruz could resist no longer. "What's up partner?" he asked gently in his low rough voice.

"It's him" his partner responded in a low voice "he's back." She sighed regarding her partner who she knew would know exactly what she meant. "This time he's in Boston…" the detective finished quietly, looking terrified.

"How do you know?" her partner responded thoughtfully, knowing exactly the man she was referring to.

"Report just came in of a kid chopped up with a hedge trimmer, in Boston…" the blonde woman replied, looking out of sorts.

Her partner recognized that look. He had seen it before. Pure terror, 'not again' Cruz thought bitterly to himself.

"We'll get him this time Alex" was all he said.

Alex Spencer looked at him, obviously shaken, but with a determined expression. "Yeah" she said not really believing her own words "Yeah this time we'll get him…"

**A/N: okay so I changed a couple things after I first posted it... First thing, Spence left a note for her wife before she left. Next change was that she didn't find her wife through her crack tech skills only through them. I hope this will all make more sense later...**


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